Safety ski bindings



Jan. 14, 1969 I v 3,421,771

SAFETY SKI BINDINGS Original Filed Oct. 23, 1964 Shee t of 5 Jan. 14,1969 E. A. MILLER 3,421,771

SAFETY SKI BINDINGS I Original Filed 001;. '23, 1964 Sheet 2 of 5 Jan.14, 1969 A. MILLER 3,421,771

SAFETY SKI BINDINGS 7 Original Filed Oct. 23, 1964 Sheet Q of 5 UnitedStates Patent 3,421,771 SAFETY SKI BINDINGS Earl Andrew Miller, Orem,Utah 84057 Original application Oct. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 405,047, now

Patent No. 3,330,572, dated July 10, 1967. Divided and this applicationFeb. 24 ,1967, Ser. No. 618,409 US. Cl. 28011.35 7 Claims Int. Cl. A63c9/08 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A safety ski binding including a bootplate for attachment to a ski boot and having an upstanding portionhaving a raised central portion and surfaces on either side of theraised central portion and boot clamping means including spring urgedarms extending horizontally on each side of the boot plate and passingover and only slightly beyond and engaging said surfaces whereby thebinding will release through five angles of release namely an upwardangle of release, left and right lateral shear angles and left and rightlateral roll angles.

This is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 405,947 filedOct. 23, 1964, now U .5. Patent No. 3,330,572. The invention relates tosafety ski bindings and more particularly to improvements in skibindings of the type provided with cableless toe and heel clampingunits. It is to be understood that the invention relates to all suchbindings operating by means of spring pressure at either the toe or heelof the ski boot.

The previously employed ski binding referred to in the prior art andproduced on a commerical scale has resulted in thousands of fracturesand other injuries due to the following reasons.

This particular binding has but one release angle mainly an upwardangle, but a skier may fall in all directions and as a consequence inemergency situations requires a release from the skis at all possibleangles. For example, if the foot of the skier twists with the toe movingto the left and the heel to the right, the prior art binding completelyblocks the heel from shearing out of the binding to the right. If thereis downward pressure on the ball of the foot 1 and the total releasecannot function, the leg is generally fractured. It is only when a skierfalls directly over the tips of his skis that this upward release anglewill usually afford protection to the skier. On the other hand, if theskier falls in a forward direction and to the side of the skis that isin an oblique angle, the heel of the ski boot must roll out to affordprotection and the absence of this particular angle in the earlierbinding accounts for the many fractures which have occurred. In otherwords, it is only when the ski boot can be released from the ski bindingfrom every possibleangle that the skier is safe.

It should further be mentioned that in the prior art binding, the leverwhich constitutes a part of the boot engaging means extends at asubstantially vertical angle from the ski and experience has shown thatif a skier should become unbalanced during skiing and sits down on suchengaging means, the skier can be impaled and numerous injuries and somedeaths have resulted from such mishaps.

The known ski bindings have failed to provide all five angles of releasefor either the toe or the heel of the boot and this invention relatesto'either a toe unit, a heel unit or a toe and heel unit employedtogether and is limited to bindings requiring metal boot plates,composition boot plates or adapators on the ski boots.

It is a salient object of the present invention to provide a ski bindingin which a skier can leave or come out of the binding at every possibleangle when required in bad Patented Jan. 14, 1969 falls, as well asprevent the skier from being injured by sitting down on dangerous sharpextensions provided on the rear unit.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a ski binding whichchanges the one upward angle of release to five angles of release,including the left and right lateral shear angles and the right and leftlateral roll angles thereby ensuring release from the skis in everypossible position of the skiers body with respect to the skis.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a ski bindingwhich permits a closer fitting of the ski boot into the rear unit withno lateral or vertical play, thus assuring the skier a firmer supportover the skis.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a ski bindinghaving a direct pressure against the rear boot plate thereby holding thecomplete boot forward into the front unit at all times.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a ski binding whichallows the skier to step into the heel or toe unit and have such unitclose automatically by contact with the boot plate against the lowerpoint of the clamp plate which eliminates extra components heretoforenecessary in the prior art binding.

Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a ski bindinghaving all five basic angles of release interrelated for changingtension and commensurate release action from one point of tension whichis completey adjustable for the precise weight of any skier.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to persons skilled in this art from a study of theensuing detailed description and annexed drawings and in which drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan View of a clamping unit for the boot plate,

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation of the clamping unit shown inFIGURE 1 with the boot plate being shown in the dot-dash lines,

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the unit shown in FIGURES 1 and2,

FIGURE 4 is a view in perspective of the clamping unit and a boot platein which the boot plate is shown located at some distance from theclamping unit with the ski to which the clamping unit is afilxed beingshown in dot-dash lines,

FIGURE 5 is a bottom view of one embodiment of boot plate,

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 illustrating a further embodimentof a boot plate,

FIGURE 7 is a side view of the boot plate with the ski I bothillustrated in dot-dash lines,

FIGURES 8-11 respectively are front views of the different types of bootplates,

FIGURE 12 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the cooperation betweenthe boot plate and the clamping unit when the clamping unit is closed,

FIGURE 13 is a side view illustrating the position of the boot plate andthe clamping unit when stepping into the binding, and

FIGURE 14 is a side elevational view of a modified boot plate andshowing the position of the boot plate and clamping unit when theclamping unit is closed.

FIGURES l, 2 and 4 illustrate a clamping unit which requires a bootplate on the ski boot and includes a base plate 1 provided withcountersunk holes by means of which the unit is attached to a ski S byscrews or the like positioned in such holes. It will further be notedthat the base plate 1 is provided with a pair of apertured lugs 3 whichconstitute bearings for a clamping component 2 which is pivotallyconnected to the lugs 3 as shown at 4. As perhaps best illustrated inFIGURE 3, the clamping component 2 is provided with arms 5 which projecthorizontally at either side and such arms are adapted to rest on a bootplate, denoted generally 14, in the operating or closed position. Avertical portion 6a is located beneath each arm 5 and is provided with aprotuberance or protrusion 6 which is supported against the boot plate.On the front side, the clamping component 2 is formed with two bearings8a in which a transverse element 8 of a T-shaped threaded bolt ismounted for pressing against the ski boot in the direction of the skiboot. This is accomplished by means of a coil spring surrounding thebolt 10 with one end of the spring engaging an upstanding wall orsection 11 formed on the plate 1, while the opposite end engages a nut12. By manipulation of the nut 12, it will be appreciated that thepressure of the spring 13 can be adjusted and by virtue thereof, thereleasing force of the clamping unit. In order to operate the clampingunit, a handle 7 which is turned forward in order to prevent injury tothe skier when falling is provided.

Referring to FIGURES 5-7, it will be noted that the boot plate 14 may beprovided on the bottom surface thereof with indentations 16 ordiagonally extending elongated ribs 16. These indentations or ribs serveto prevent the skier from slipping while walking on icy surfaces. Inorder to attach the boot plate to the ski boot the plate is providedwith a plurality of countersunk openings for permitting screws to betapped into the ski boot sole. In addition, the bottom surface isprovided with a substantially centrally located longitudinally extendingcomponent c deformed from the plane of such bottom surface and whichserves as an alignment mark for mounting the binding on the ski.

In FIGURE 7 it will be noted that the boot plate 14 is provided with anupwardly directed section or portion 18 at the toe part of a ski boot 21and on which portion 18 the arms 5 of the clamping unit 2 are adapted toengage.

FIGURES 81l illustrate different plates of sections 18 which may beutilized with the boot plate. It will be noted that in all of theseembodiments the section 18 is provided on its upper edge or surface withan are 19 in the middle zone thereof. More specifically, in FIGURE 8 thesection 18 is provided on both sides of the are 19 with laterallysloping shoulders on which the arms 5 rest and thus hold the boot plate14 in a stationary manner. In FIGURE 9 lateral arcs 20a are provided onboth sides of the are 19. FIGURE 10 illustrates shoulders 20b on bothsides of the are 19 and which shoulders extend horizontally. In FIGURE11 the are 19 is such as to extend to each vertical edge of the section18 and the arms 5 rest on the arc in proximity to the vertical edges.

FIGURE 12 illustrates the manner in which the boot plate 14 and clampingunit 2 co-act in the operative position. The slope angle b (FIGURE 8) ofthe shoulders 20 and the angle blank (FIGURE 12) of the arms 5 can bereadily adapted to the individual requirements, that is to say, byaltering this angle, the releasing forces are adjustable.

With reference to FIGURE 13 which illustrates the position of the bootplate and clamping unit when the skier steps into the binding, it willbe seen the clamping unit 2 is maintained open by means of the springactuated bolt 10, since the transverse element 8 of the bolt is mountedsomewhat below the pivotal point 4 of the clamping unit in the openedposition. When the boot plate 14 contacts the section 6a of the unit 2with the section 18 upon the skier stepping into the binding, theclamping unit 2 is automatically turned in the direction indicated bythe arrow a and the arms 5 press on the shoulders 20 thereby engagingthe same and such position is substantially that illustrated in FIGURE14. In this position, the spring 13 presses the clamping unit 2 into theclosed position, since the transverse element 8 of the bolt 10 is nowrotated above the pivotal axis 4 of the clamping unit 2.

In FIGURE 14 it will be noted that a protrusion 6b is mounted on thesection 18 of the boot plate 14 and the protrusion 6 is omitted from thevertical section 6a of the clamping unit.

While the operation of the present invention is believed to be readilyapparent from the above description, it may be summarized as follows:

When the ski boot, due to a heavy fall of the skier, is twisted to theright or to the left due to lateral overstressing, the arc-shapedsection 19 of the boot plate presses the left or right arm 5 of theclamping unit 2. As a consequence of the cam action of the arc in anupward direction, the ski boot can now swing loosely thus preventinginjury to the skier. If the ski boot is tilted relative to the ski, thearm 5 located the greatest distance from the tilting axis is pressed inan upward direction by the shoulder 20 of the boot plate until the armglides from the shoulder. This assures a safe release of the ski booteven in situations of extreme tilting stresses. Moreover, it isessential that the boot be released from the binding in an upwarddirection should the skier fall directly over the tips of his skis. Inthis situation, the two arms 5 are raised by the shoulders of the bootplate until the plate is released from the binding.

It is believed readily apparent, therefore, that the present ski bindingensures a safe release in five main directions, mainly a transversehorizontal release to the left or to the right, a transverse tiltingrelease to the left or to the right and a release in an upwarddirection.

What is claimed is:

1. In a ski binding, a boot plate for attachment to a ski boot, saidboot plate including an upstanding portion, a boot clamping means on aski for coaction with said boot plate, an arm on said clamping meansextending horizontally at each side of said boot plate, a raised portionon said upstanding portion of said boot plate located between said arms,surfaces on said upstanding portion outside said raised portion, saidarms extending over and only slightly beyond said surfaces whereby saidsurfaces are adapted to be engaged by said horizontally extending arms,and spring means operably related to said clamping means for urging saidhorizontally extended arms into engagement with said surfaces outside ofsaid raised portion of said boot plate, the arrangement being such thatshould the ski boot twist to one side or the other, the raised portionof the boot plate constitutes a cam and presses the requisitehorizontally extended arm in a direction away from the boot due to thecam action of the raised portion thus releasing the boot from theclamping means, should the ski boot tilt relative to the ski, thehorizontally extended arm located the greatest distance from the tiltingaxis is pressed upwardly by the underlying surface of the upstandingportion of the boot plate associated therewith until the arm slides offsuch surface so that the boot is released from the clamping means, and,should the skier fall directly over the tips of the skis, thehorizontally extended arms are raised by said surfaces of the boot platethereby releasing the boot from the clamping means.

2. The ski binding as claimed in claim 1 in which said raised portionhas an upper edge including a median portion defined by an are having acenter point located in the plane longitudinally bisecting saidupstanding portion, and said upper edge including other portionsextending beyond the median portion which define said surfaces.

3. The ski binding as claimed in claim 2 in which said other portionsare shoulders sloped downwardly from each side of said median portion tothe exterior of said plate so as to define said surfaces.

4. The ski binding as claimed in claim 1 in which said raised portionhas an upper edge including a median portion defined by an arc having acenter point located in the plane longitudinally bisecting saidupstanding portion, and said upper edge including other and smallerarcuate portions extending beyond the outer ends of said median portionwhich define said surfaces.

5. The ski binding as claimed in claim 1 in which said arms diverge andsaid raised portion has an upper edge including a median portion definedby an are having a center point located in the plane longitudinally'bisecting said upstanding portion and horizontal shoulders extendingbeyond the outer ends of said median portion and which shoulders definesaid surfaces.

6. The ski binding as claimed in claim 5 in which said boot clampingmeans includes at least one projection on each side thereof locatedbeneath said arms for pressing against said raised portion of said bootplate when said boot plate is engaged.

7. The ski binding as claimed in claim 1 in which said raised portion ofsaid boot plate is provided with at least one projection located beneatheach of said extended arms for coaction with said boot clamping means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

JOHN A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner.

